Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Not bad for an amateur

Running an on-line jewelry shop on a shoe-string budget forces a person to stretch their limits in many avenues. The starving artists that we are, we cannot afford professional photography, and yet quality photos that are inviting, compelling and functional are essential. So we read and apply, read more and try, and practice and read even more. There is so much that goes into the making of a good photo. I've worked with enough professional photographers in my many decades to know that they discard 90% of their photos because they don't measure up to the photographers standards of "good."

Unfortunately for jewelry artists, we don't have the time to shoot and re-shoot a piece 100 times to get those 5 "good" shots. But with enough trial and error we find a method that works for us so we can get our decent entries to use in our shops somewhat expediently.

Every once in a while though, it's fun to push the boundaries. I'm a wee bit proud of this photo ... the focus on the lovely bead and all the wonderful "bokeh" in the background to take the mundane out of the photo of a simple necklace.

You'll find this listed in my Etsy shop here.

PhotobucketOn another front ... I got my Etsy shop's RSS feed linked to my Twitter! So now when I list something, it'll get tweeted with a link. Happy dance!

I'd like to thank a couple of recent folks who left comments, UniqueNurseGranny and Kim, with some link luv!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

It's Sunday ...

... and time to feature a good buddy from Skwiggazine! This week's featured artist is Corinne Sullivan of Daydream Art Studios! Corrine also has the sweetest blog. While you're checking out her Etsy shop, be sure to visit mine, too.

I'll be providing FREE SHIPPING for all Cyber Monday sales! I'll be furiously stocking overnight. Here's a sample of available prettiness:



Oh, and some linky luv for my recent commenters!
Storybeader Take a stroll through her lovely blog.
Beadsme aka Mandy Harvery, a very talented jewelry artist.
Savey Spender ... you'll save a buck or two!
Leslie of Unique Charm and another fellow Estian!
Always Amy ... always da bomb! (BTW, I signed up for ArtFire and mentioned you as the referral, but I signed up with the wtong e-mail so I have to get my registration straightened out! Here's to our mutual success!)
Anna of A Rose By Name and one of the phenomenal beadweavers. I so admire your skill, patience and talent.
Viv of Creative Minds is another fellow talented Estian. Etsy is stuffed full of talented people!
Kala Pohi Studio ... another talented Estian ... I'm feeling extraordinarily humbled.
And last, but never least, my two partners in the Skwiggazine madness, Michelle of Michabella Creations and Annette of Under the Loupe.

May all your page ranks rise!